Introducing The Princess Margaret’s Women’s Giving Circle

Margaret’s Circle is an exclusive program designed for women who want to cultivate a meaningful philanthropic relationship in support of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. As leaders, executives, professionals and entrepreneurs, Margaret’s Circle members share a deep commitment to the work of the Foundation, a desire to be connected to its mission and a voice to make a difference.

Attendees at a Margaret's Circle event, where Margaret's Circle members and their guests visited Dr. Linda Penn's Lab for a behind-the-scenes look

“The spirit of Margaret’s Circle is predicated upon the passionate belief that anything is possible when women come together and connect around a common goal.” - Andrea Johnson, Chair & Founding Member

“We have shown that statins, which are off-patent drugs widely used to lower cholesterol, also have potent anti-cancer effects in a variety of tumour types. Now we are attempting to identify which patients will respond to statins and determine how to improve these drugs’ anti-cancer effects. Our ultimate goal: translate these results into the clinic and improve patient care.”

On MYC:

“Expression of the MYC proto-oncogene is tightly controlled in normal cells, but when the MYC oncoprotein is deregulated and MYC activity unleashed, MYC drives the development of over 50% of human cancers. Our hypothesis is that by understanding the regulation and function of MYC in cancer, we can develop effective anti-MYC therapeutics. Such inhibitors of MYC would have an enormous impact on cancer patient care and outcome.”

“My involvement with Margaret's Circle gives me the opportunity to cultivate meaningful relationships with women in leadership and philanthropy in support of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.” - Vivien Sharon, Founding Member